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Lots of folks are making wings for the game, and I thought I'd chime in with some wing pointers.

I like wings, and I like them cooked a particular way, and I always buy a particular brand when I get them. They're really easy to make, and you can impress your friends.

It's a pain in the butt to cook wings during halftime, so I suggest you make them for pregame or serve them right at the start.

The best wings to buy, IMHO, are the Perdue Wingettes. They come in a blue package. Don't buy frozen wings or chicken parts labeled as wings. The parts are usually whole wings and you'll need to cut them prior to cooking. The Purdue Wingettes in the blue package are very meaty and already cut. I think you get about a dozen in a package, and they're not cheap. Buy them on Friday because I guarantee you they'll be sold out by Saturday night.

I never bread wings. It's sacrilegious. They go into the oil the way they came out of the package. Breaded wings are an abomination that someone in a large restaurant chain thought was a good idea. I shun them from my deep frier.

Heat the oil up to about 375Â°F to 400Â°F. ALWAYS KEEP AN OIL THERMOMETER IN THE OIL! Can't stress that enough. Hot oil is very dangerous and likes to mess with people (especially when alcohol is involved). Handle it with respect and care.

Rinse the wings in water after taking them out of the package to get any creepiness off of them. Pat dry them with a paper towel and send them swimming in the oil. Make sure there is enough oil in the pan to cover the wings and allow them to float off of the bottom of the pan. I use a very large cast iron dutch oven in the house and have an aluminum pan for outdoors. I usually use a gallon of oil in each pan, never filling more than 1/2 of the volume of the pan.

Cool law of physics: Water is heavier than oil. Crappy part about it: When you put something wet into a hot deep frier, the water goes to the bottom of the pan, boils, and then shoots out of the pan as steam. And of course this shooting action launches hot oil too. When you put your rinsed chicken wings into the pan it's going to erupt. Put them in with tongs 1-2 pieces at a time. It's not a rush and you don't want your hot oil to get unmanageable. We're here to make wings, not set the house on fire and go to the hospital. You'll notice that the temperature of the oil will drop quickly once all the wings get in there. That's okay. You can turn the heat back up but do not leave the oil pan with the fire going at any time. It can quickly heat up over 400Â°F and terrible things will happen if you let it go too far beyond that (think, "how am I going to explain this to the wife and insurance company...").

Once the wings are in go grab a cold beverage of your choice. If you want to make authentic Buffalo hot sauce, get some Frank's Red Hot and a stick of butter. Slowly (small fire) heat the Frank's Red Hot in a sauce pan with some butter in it. More butter, less heat but more sweetness. Start by melting a 1/4 stick into it and taste it. Add more butter to taste. Try not to simmer it, just get it warm and melt the butter.

I like crispy wings. Wings with a crunch and knobby parts with a good crunch to them. The way I tell if my wings are done are two part: They need to float and they need to be golden-brown to brown (not dark leather brown, closer to deer brown for lack of a better description). Wings will float as they cook individually, but when the majority of them start floating and the oil mellows a bit they're about ready. This can take about 15-20 minutes in 375Â°F oil, sometimes longer if your oil temperature dropped below 250Â°F when you put them in. Always watch the temp and try not to go over 400Â°F.

Fish the wings out with tongs or if you're lucky enough to have a basket, pull them out. Let the oil drip for a few seconds and dump them into a bowl with a paper towel or two at the bottom. Shake them around for a second so the excess oil gets absorbed by the paper towel. Now you can dress your wings and serve them. If you want to put sauce all over them (shake them) you can always use a plastic container with a lid. You can buy some of those Glad or ZipLock ones real cheap at the store, just get the largest ones. Throw in the wings, throw your seasonings in, close the lid. Shake (the lid will try to pop off, so be forewarned). Open lid. Inhale deeply, serve.

When I'm not in the mood for Buffalo sauce I'll dump some BBQ sauce on them. You can also use different rubs or a mix of seasonings to get creative with your wings. No limits here, make them the way you like them. It's chicken, you can do anything with it.

Now since you've got a pan full of hot oil sitting around, no sense in wasting it. Throw in a bag of fries, some poppers, cheese sticks, or make potato skins by deep frying them first, stuffing them, and then finishing them by baking them in the oven. Wings take the longest to make, so start them first. Poppers and cheese sticks usually take 2-4 minutes. By the time they're done the wings will still be hot. And if you're truly dedicated and ready for the challenge, you can make chicken friend bacon strips (http://www.cdkitchen...con122423.shtml). Truly a crowd pleaser.

Haskell, good post and about the same as what I do but you didn't mention the type of oil so I would suggest peanut oil, anything deep fried in my house is goes in peanut oil because of the high smoking temp, gets a good crisp on wings.
For the sauce, I mix garlic butter and Pete's texas or Franks red hot at about a 3 to1 (hot sauce to garlic butter) along with a Tblspn of vinegar and a dash or 2 of sugar. I'll have a side bowl of sauce that I kick up with a habanero sauce.

By the way things look...hospital food. My wifes 9 months pregnant and I said weeks ago watch her go into labor on superbowl sunday.

Ha Ha Ha, 19 years ago I spent Super Bowl Sunday in Labor. I remember that Dallas was playing and I liked them. Was gonna give my son Mike, Dallas as a middle name if they won, they didn't. Don't even remember who they played. Anyway, I waited until after the game to go to the hospital. He was born the next morning at 6am. Because of this we have always celebrated his BD on Super Bowl Sunday, but with him being away at college this year I've given no thought at all to this Sunday or the food I will have.

Best of luck to you, your wife and your expected little one. I hope he/she waits until after the game to make the big appearance.